Coastal
by SunshineAndSecrets
Summary: Alice is a promising young fashion designer caught up in the hustle and bustle of L.A, trying to work her way up the ladder. When her boss gives her a new project, to design a Surf & Skate line, her brother sets up a meeting with long time friend and surf shop owner Bella Swan. Worlds collide in this pop meets punk story. Deadlines, tattoos, sand, and love in the California sun. AH
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First things first, I'd like to apologize to everyone for committing to another story. Some small part of me is kicking and screaming, but the rest figures why the hell not? I guess whichever story, this or The Joys of Lycanthropy, you all like best is the one I'll put more time into, plus I've got enough words already written in TJoL to give me some time with this one. Let me know what you think, if this is worth continuing! Enjoy!**

The inside of Adonna Marcleif's office was an explosion of color and coordinated design, visually pleasing yet singularly terrifying. Her walls were painted a pale blue with dark accents, her carpet was an atypical pattern, with swirls and shapes or mixed colors. Pictures hung on the wall, plants basked in the sunlight, pictures of her children sat on her desk. There was a drafting desk under the window and an easel beside it. The desk itself was a beautiful antique, hand carved in the seventeen hundreds. It had been in her family since her uncle, a designer for the uniforms worn in the revolutionary war, had had it commissioned. This woman knew of her heritage and was extremely proud of it, flaunting it whenever she could.

Mrs. Marcleif herself was what caused the office to become an intimidating hell. She was beautiful, for one, with stark green eyes, auburn hair, and porcelain skin. Young, successful, rich, used to getting what she wanted. She was the head of Marcleif Design, one of the leading design headquarters in all of L.A., with leading trends and brands in stores all over the world. She dressed, as such, in the highest fashion, with precise coordination and a certain amount of genius that no matter what I myself was wearing, I felt dingy and less than presentable. I might as well have shown up in sweat pants and a dirty tee shirt.

"I have an assignment for you," she said, her voice rich and cold.

I nodded, not speaking.

"Marcleif Design isn't just for the privileged, you know."

_Is that why your latest batch of bras sell for two hundred dollars minimum? _I thought with a sarcastic bite, but kept my face neutral.

"We must cater to our entire population. There is an endless supply of customers for high fashion here in L.A., of course, but our little city is more than movie stars. We are youth, and spontaneity."

I wondered if this was the speech she had likely already drafted to reveal the product I had yet to even create. It sure sounded like it.

"We are rogues, and rebels. We are the surfers and skaters and boarders, are we not?" Her brows hitched upward the smallest amount, indicating she expected and answer.

"Of course, ma'am. L.A. Has always been a hotspot for the young and adventurous."

"Young and adventurous," she smiled a bit, mulling over my words. My palms began to sweat, in the fear that I had given a wrong answer. Instead her smile split a bit further and she said, "I would have put it the same myself. You will be good for this project, Miss Cullen. I need you to venture out into that new world on the coast, find out what really makes that market tick, then recreate it in a way that is singularly Marcleif. An entire line."

I balked, surprised, eyes widening. "An entire line?" I asked, not caring that I would get rebuked for the reiteration.

"I just said that, didn't I? You were the most promising graduate from NYU, that's the only reason you're here now. You showed promise in your internship, but now the test drive is over and you're off the lot and into my hands. We need to make sure you can actually perform under pressure. You have three months to research, design, fabricate, and present a total of thirty items worthy of our market."

I nodded as my stomach rolled with growing anxiety. I had hoped my euphoria would last a bit longer, but reality was already kicking in. Three months for an entire line? I didn't even know where to start.

Mrs. Marcleif picked up a manilla folder from her desk and handed it to me. "This is what I expect. Workshop 3B has been reserved for your needs. If you need any interns to assist you, see Mark and he'll arrange something. Outlines for drawing fabrics up and pulling them from our stores can be found inside as well. You have a drafting station at your apartment?"

I nodded.

"Good. Dismissed. I'll check in with you in two weeks."

I nodded my head. "Thank you, Mrs. Marcleif. I won't disappoint."

"Good," she said, then bent her head to her desk. I turned and fled.

Outside her office was a rather beautiful waiting area, a wide open oval lounge with wrap around couches and tables. The far window extended over the entire wall and overlooked the bustling L.A. Streets farther down the hill side. You could see the Hollywood sign from here too. I sighed and wondered if I would ever have a beautiful office like this.

"So, I didn't hear any screaming," a higher pitched male voice intruded on my thoughts. "It can't have been that bad."

I turned around with a smiled to see Mark, Mrs. Marcleif's assistant, sitting beside his desk right outside her door. He wore a lavender dress shirt, a plum tie, and white suspenders. His honey brown hair was gelled up, and his teeth where dazzlingly white. He was also flamingly gay.

"Nah, I'm still in one piece... for now." I tried for a smile but it came out as a grimace.

Mark tsked and reached behind his desk, only to produce a tray of sweets. He was supposed to offer them to anyone waiting. I had already had mine, but Mark and I had grown close over the year or so I'd been working here. "Here hon, have a cookie and tell me all about it."

I smiled and walked over to lean against his desk, taking a chocolate cookie from the proffered tray. "Well," I said, after taking a small bite. "Mrs. Marcleif has given me an assignment."

"Oh no. Is it awful? You didn't get Project Granny Panties, did you?" He grimaced but I just laughed.

"No!" I said, horrified at the mere mention of granny panties. "Is that really a thing? Heaven help the interns. No, nothing like that. It's actually pretty cool. _Could be_ really cool, I'm just a bit overwhelmed."

"Well don't leave me hanging! What is it?"

"I have to design a skate-surf-board line for the subculture on the coast, specifically."

Mark, in all his flamboyant gayness, fluttered his hands and squealed. "Oh, Alice, that is _marvelous_! Aren't you excited? You have to be! This will get you so far ahead if you pull it off-"

"If I pull it off," I interrupted. "And I don't know if I can. I need to have the whole thing, thirty pieces, squared away in just three months."

Mark waved a hand at my statement. "Please. I've seen Marcleif give out more than that with a shorter due date. You've got this, hon. I know all about Hell Week at NYU, and if you survived that, you won't have any trouble here. Just do what you do best, and you'll be fine." He laid a hand on my shoulder and smiled warmly, which I couldn't help but return.

"I don't even know where to begin, though," I said, weakly.

"Well," Mark said, musing. "Do you have any possible clientele in your family, or any friends that hang out on the beach?"

I smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, my brother surfs but he's not 'into it,' or anything. He just does it for fun."

Mark shrugged. "It's a starting point. Go for it."

I beamed. "I will. But if it backfires it's on you, and as such I will have no choice but to draw boobs on every single one of your ties."

Mark gasped. "Alice Cullen, that is not even funny."

"That's why I was kidding," I smirked and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "I'm gonna call Em now, so I'll see you later, alright?"

"See ya, hon!" Mark called, then turned back to his computer screen and began typing away.

I walked through the building in a daze, not really coming to until I was seated in my car down in the parking garage. I took a deep breath the sifted through my bag until I found my phone. It rang three times then, "Yo Short Stuff! What's goin' on?"

I laughed out, "Hey Emmett. I need your help."

"Oh yeah? What with? Bear in mind that my strict 'no modeling' rule is still in effect. Unless you need Rose to model, in which case yes."

I rolled my eyes. "No, neither of those. I actually just need your advice on a new project I just got."

He paused. "You need my help with a Marcleif project? Alice, I don't think you're talking to the right guy. Here, let me go get Rose-"

"No! See, that's the thing. It's not a fancy line, it's a skater-surfer line. I need to design one, and I'm lost. Where should I start?"

Another pause, then, "Seriously?"

"Yup. Thirty items, surf, skate, a boarding. I'm running blind, man. Help a sister out."

"Hell yeah! Okay, I've got a friend who runs a skate shop, she handles all my stuff and she's totally awesome. I'm sure she could help you."

"It's as good a place as any to start. Can you give me the details?" I fished a pad of paper and pen from my console.

"Yeah, her shop's down in Santa Monica, right near the beach."

I scribbled down the address with a smile on my face.

There was something refreshing about driving down Ocean Avenue. Every new mile took a year off the soul until you couldn't help but smile. I had my Porsche's top down, sunglasses on, short hair blowing in the breeze. It was a balmy eighty some degrees outside. On the right side of my car I could see the ocean through buildings, and beaches packed with people. Surfers popped in and out of waves, skateboarders zipped along on the sidewalks. Finally my GPS dinged, letting me know I was getting close. It wasn't long until a red brick building came into sight. Above the door was an artfully designed piece of graffiti reading 'Olympic Surf and Skate.' I pulled into the lot behind the building, parked my car, and hopped out eagerly.

Emmett told me he had met the store's owner back in college and that they had been close ever since. When I asked him if Rose had any reason to be jealous Emmett laughed and said, "Bella's in a class of her own and in my mind, practically one of the guys." All in all, I was eager to meet her. Emmett had also told me there wasn't a single person on the coast that knew more about Cali Culture than Bella did.

I pushed open the back entrance door and walked into an explosion of color and design. Graphics popped out at me, some I recognized and some I didn't. One wall held what must have been hundreds of skateboard bodies along with wheels, and the opposite wall held longs rows of surf boards. In the middle of the store there were racks of clothes for all disciplines. Bathing suits, board shorts, pajamas, even Fox and Rider boxers. I looked up and saw the store had a loft as well, stocked with more clothes and snowboarding gear. I smiled, reminding myself that I'd have to thank Emmett for this later.

"Hey there. You must be Emmett's sister? Right?" A voice, lower than mine and a little bit raspy called out from amid the shelves. I wove my way towards it and found a tall, slender girl leaning against the counter in front of the skate boards. Her wavy brown hair, intermixed with blue and blond streaks, cascaded over her shoulders and down to her lower back and was tamed (for the most part) under a wide brimmed hat, embroidered with the letters 'DC.' She wore a tank top with the same logo, gray and green and blue, with black skinny jeans. Bulky headphones hung ground her neck, and she had snakebites in her lower lip.

I smiled. "Am I that out of place?"

The girl who I assumed to be Bella grinned. "Only a little. Mostly, you don't have the dress for it but you also look like Emmett, just a bit."

I shrugged my shoulders. "The dress thing I'm looking to fix, the Emmett part, well, isn't a little early in our friendship for you to be insulting me?"

Bella laughed and her face split into a smile. She held out a hand which happened to be attached to an arm, one I noticed for the first time to be tattooed with an under water theme from wrist to shoulder. Waves crashed up her forearm, whales and sharks and tropical fish swam in circles up and down. On her shoulder an octopus was looking at me a little funny. "I'm Bella Swan," she said once her laughter had subsided.

"I'm Alice Cullen," I smiled, shaking her hand.

"So how can I help you?"

I sighed.

"That bad?" Bella joked.

I grinned, "Not for you, just for me." I outlined the basics of the project to her. "I," I said, pointing to myself, "know nothing about any of it. Emmett said you were an expert and pointed me your way."

Bella's eyebrows perked up and she whistled. "Marcleif, huh? I've heard of it. One of their shirts is about the same as my rent each month. Not many skaters can afford shit like that."

I laughed and shrugged. "Yeah. But that's the thing, it's supposed to be changing the way people look at Marcleif. Or something. I don't know, but I can pay you a consultant's fee and everything-"

Bella held up her hands. "I'm gonna stop you right there. First off, you're the Bear's little sis, and second off, I love bringing new blood into the lifestyle of the coast. No need to charge for that."

I grimaced. "You'll probably want it after how much I'll bug you about all this, if you agree to help me out that is. Three solid months of me pestering you? No one should have to endure that for free," I said, laughing.

Bella laughed too. "Nah, don't worry about it. It's the hot season right now, if you hang around the shop and wallflower for a bit, you'll be sure to pick up whatever you need to know and I can answer all your questions. Teach you about the brands, what makes them different and what makes people wanna spend their hard earned green on them." She shrugged. "No sweat."

I looked around the shop and said, "This place _is_ seriously awesome."

Bella beamed. "It should be! I pour out my blood, sweat, and tears on a daily basis."

"Sounds like a lot of work," I chuckled.

She shrugged. "Yeah, but it's worth it." The door dinged and a group of teenagers meandered in. "One sec," Bella said to me, before raising her voice to the new comers and asking, "What's up?"

"Nadda," one boy said. He was tall with hair so blond it was nearly white. "Lookin' for some new wheels. My fuckin' dog chewed up one of the ones I've got now."

"Street or Park?" Bella asked.

"Street. Blue, I think, to match my board." The boy held up a skateboard, the underside of which was a gnarled representation of an underwater scene, complete with sharks and mauled fish, like a considerably more macabre version of Bella's tattoo.

"I like it," Bella said, grinning. She turned and pulled a few off the racks. "We've got Unlimited, Jakson Co. and Hurley."

"Whatever's cheapest," the boy said.

"Right-o," Bella said and slid the Jakson Co wheels across the counter. "Twenty bucks."

The boy sighed. "Aw, shit." He turned around to look at his friends. "You guys got any cash? I've only got seventeen."

"Hold on," Bella said. "No sweat. A discount, and maybe you'll come back later on if you need anything else?"

The boy grinned and said, "Hell yeah." He swept out a hand and Bella met him in some kind of high-five turned clasping on the hands. "Sweet. I'll do you one more and let all my friends know where you're at."

"Solid. Want me to put those on for you?" She asked with an easy smile.

The boy shrugged and said, "I've got it, thanks anyways."

"Alright then," Bella shrugged and waved a lazy hand in farewell as the kids left the store.

Once they were gone I asked, "You can just do that?"

Bella said, "All this stuff in here is used for heavy activity, it breaks and wears thin. Customer loyalty keeps this shop alive, forget a few extra dollars."

I laughed and said, "Well, isn't this a drastic change from working at Marcleif? Like a breath of fresh air."

Bella laughed as well and said, "Well hey, I'm happy to help out. We got ourselves a deal? You hang out around the shop, I'll teach you what you need to know, maybe offer some advice?"

I sighed and said, "I need to give you something in return, though. Otherwise it's just not fair."

Bella tapped her chin in thought. "I guess you'll just have to pick up my lunch tab every now and then. Eventually I might even put you on some customers, test your knowledge or whatever."

I smiled. "That sounds better, now I won't feel so guilty."

"Good! But, before we seal the deal, I have one final question for you."

"Hit me," I said.

"Are you a dog person?"

I blinked. It wasn't what I was expecting. "Well, yeah. I love dogs! But how is that-"

Bella cut me off with a whistle and suddenly from up in a loft came the sound of clicking claws and thudding paws. Down the stairs flashed a blur of gray and white mottled fur. It dodged between racks with expert precision and I smiled. When the blur came to a halt it had become a dog. The creature had a build that reminded me of an Australian Shepherd but it's coat was a piebald mix of white and blue merle. His eyes were deep brown, the same shade as Bella's, when I thought about it.

"This is Argo! Official shop mascot, my most valued co-worker, and Santa Monica's most famous surfing dog."

I giggled and knelt down, ruffling the fur around his neck. "Well hey there, pretty boy!"

He wuffed in response and cordially licked my nose.

"Now that you two have been introduced, there's just one thing left to do," Bella said, voice surprisingly grave.

I looked up, quizzical, only to see a smile on her face and a hand extended.

"We've got to shake on it." She smiled.

So we shook.

**A/N: Off to a good start maybe yes? I think this could go places! Let me know what you thought! I need to make sure it's worth splitting my time, so if you want more let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You guys sounded fairly enthusiastic about this, so here's a new chapter. Let me know how it ranks against the first?**

The next week passed in a frenzy. Each night I drove the half an hour drive back up to my West Hollywood apartment exhausted and mind buzzing. Bella was a wizard, of that I was certain. She had this masterful way of teaching with making you feel like a student, and good vibes just flowed off her, imbuing everyone around her with some kind of excited, exuberant energy. My first week was spent lounging around the shop with her, organizing and inventorying and talking about everything under the sun. It felt like a vacation, but every night I spent at least one extra hour up sketching and designing based on what I had picked up that day. I learned more than just brands and styles, though. I learned about Bella too.

I learned that she had grown up on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, hence the shop name. I learned she had moved down to California after her father had passed, to be closer to her mother who lived in Costa Mesa. She was an English Major from the University of Washington and wrote in her spare time, but surfing and skating were her passion. I learned that her favorite color was blue and she had a thing for Italian food and that she was a great cook. In turn I told her about my childhood, about Emmett and I having been orphaned in our infancy and placed in foster homes until Carlisle and Esme had adopted us when we were seven. I told her about Jasper and Edward, Edward being Carlise's birth child from the wrong marriage and Jasper another adoptee. I brought her up to speed on Emmett's marriage and made plans for myself, Emmett, Rosalie, and her to meet up some time.

Before I knew it we had slipped into a routine. I would arrive at the shop at eight, Argo would greet me at the door (Argo and I were fast friends) and walk with me to the front desk where Bella would be reading some skate magazine or another. Bella and I would chat for an hour or so and watch the beach across the road begin to fill up. Around ten or so is when the first customers would arrive, to whom I would pay avid attention while Bella worked her magic. Bella would quiz me on general knowledge whenever there was a lull in conversation, explaining that if I didn't know the basics I couldn't hope to understand the soul behind them. It was good logic and I wasn't complaining.

"So how is it," I began from the other side of the rack we were in the process of reorganizing, "That even though I've heard you're some kind of surfing guru, I've yet to see you surf? Or skate, for that matter."

Bella laughed. "Well I surf every morning before work," she explained, "and I skate after close."

I peered around the rack at her, looking for some sign that she was joking. "Seriously?" I asked.

She smiled, fiddling with the piercings in her lip. "Hell yeah. It's not crowded then. It's amazing to watch the sun rise over the city from out in the ocean, and then the skate parks have lights." She shrugged.

I scoffed and said, "Damn, well, whatever floats you boat. I still think you're just avoiding showing me your skills. I'm starting to believe you're nothing but hot air."

"You think I'm hot?" She teased.

"Oh, shut up. You're avoiding the question," I taunted back, but blushed all the same, grateful for the rack that separated us.

"To answer your question, your highness, you haven't seen me because we only hang out at work."

I went out on a limb and said, "Well, I guess we need to change that!"

"I guess so!" She mused. I could practically hear her thinking in the dead pause, then, "Tomorrow's Saturday, right?"

"Yessir," I quipped.

"Well, I think we're in need for a vacation. Sales were up this week, what do you think about taking off tomorrow? I can pick you up and bring you to my favorite surfing place. Want to learn how?"

I grinned at the thought of finally getting to see Bella in action. "As long as it's not imposing on shop success, or whatever. Don't just humor me. And also, I don't think I'm big enough to surf, honestly. I'd never have the strength to paddle out, never mind get through the breakers."

I heard Bella 'psh' from across me. "Don't be dumb, short stuff, no one is too small to surf. Maybe big waves won't be your thing yet, but if it's calm we can give it a go. As for revenue, you must be a good luck charm or something, the shops doing fine. Don't even argue, it's happening."

I sighed. "Well, who am I to argue?"

"Great! Where do you live?"

"West Hollywood, about a thirty minute drive."

Bella was quiet for a little while, then, "Really? I live in West Hollywood too. What street are you on?"

I told her and she laughed, saying, "I'm only three blocks down from you! It's fate, dude."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, we were fated to go surfing tomorrow. It was written in the stars."

"Aw, shut up. I mean it was fated that we would meet and become such a dynamic duo. You don't believe in fate?"

I mused for a moment, the finally said, "Kind of. I think it's more luck, though. I think there's a greater plan, sure, a way things should all fit together. But people make dumb mistakes all the time. I don't think it's terribly hard to get off track."

"I get what you're saying, I guess," Bella replied.

"You believe in fate, I take it?"

"I think if things are working out a certain way, you should follow that path because maybe it's just the way it was supposed to be. I take everything as a signpost. Good things and bad, as long as you read them right."

I laughed. "I like it. So what, me hiring on at Marcleif and being assigned this job, and Emmett being my brother and you just happening to run into one another at college, and you just happening to own a skate and board shop? All fate?"

Bella laughed. "A bit too much for coincidence, don't you think?"

Mulling it over, I finally concluded, "Maybe. I'll need more proof before I can agree on a definitive answer."

"Challenge accepted!"

Bella had set the time of pick-up at an ungodly hour, the sun had barely cleared the horizon when my apartment buzzer rang. Previously I had been sitting huddled at my kitchen table in front of a large mug of coffee, wrapped in a blanket. I shuffled towards the door, still wrapped up. I pressed the button on the pad by my door, offering only a short "Yeah?"

"It's me," Bella's distinctive voice rang back.

"I'll," my sentence was interrupted by a yawn, "Oh jeeze, sorry. I'm buzzing you up," I mumbled, doing so then shuffling back to my table. When Bella came up the stairs and pushed open the door to my small dwelling, she found me huddled up like a turtle, clasping my mug of hot coffee like it was a life line.

"Wow," Bella said, immediately breaking out into laughter.

"Shut up, I don't think I've been this tired since exam week in College."

"It's only seven in the morning!" Bella said, still laughing, but now moving to look around.

My apartment was neat and well put together, but small. I was on the third floor so I had a decent view, which was good. Beyond that I had a sitting room, kitchen, and dining room all in one tiny space, barely three hundred square feet. Down a hallway was my bedroom, a bathroom, and a hall closet, all of which took up another paltry two hundred square feet. I remember when Emmett first saw this place he laughed and said I had finally found a home that reflected my size. It was built for me, he said. I liked it well enough, despite his jibes. The living room is painted a light blue, the kitchen is red, and my bedroom is a pale yellow, and the bathroom is mocha brown. My décor is fairly modern, good looking despite it's IKEA quality (My brothers put it all together, thank whatever gods may be).

"Which feels so much earlier than eight. I rise with the sun."

"The sun is up, isn't it?"

"Barely," I grumbled, then gestured to my coffee. "Want any?"

"Nah, I get jittery," she said, shrugging. "Besides, we need to get to the beach early or others will grab the good spots."

I, in a rather surly manner, wriggled out of my blanket and shuffled over to her side, all the while asking, "What, do people put flags down to claim their territory or something?"

Alright, so I was a bear in the morning. Bella took it in stride, however. "Nah, it's just unspoken code. If someone's on a set of good waves, you leave them be. Dropping in on someone else's session is major bad mojo."

I just sighed.

"So what are you wearing?" She asked.

I looked down. I had a tank top and capri shorts on over a bikini. "A bikini, I think."

Bella chuckled again. "You think? And anyways, I don't think you'd appreciate surfing in a bikini, unless you're planning on giving all the beach goers a free show. The water can get rough and bikini's aren't known for stability, you know?"

Well, the last thing I wanted to do was go change now. "Honestly, if I go back in my room and see my bed, I'm like as not to just flop down and stay for a few more hours. Maybe it'd be best if I just spectated."

"Really?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow. "You sure? You're okay with waking up this early just to watch me muck about in the water?"

I shrugged and stifled another yawn. "Sure! Like I said, I haven't seen you in action yet."

"Let's roll, then," Bella said with a cheeky smirk.

Her car surprised me. I don't know what I expected, but a hotrod Chevy sure wasn't it. It had the bulbous form of something aged, made a few decades back, but it was painted a slick, glossy, fire engine red. It had white wall tires and white pinstripes. A surfboard shaped car freshener hung from the rear view. From it's bed peaked the form of two surboards. Bella walked street side, flung open her door and hopped in all while I admired the view.

"Where did you get such a beautiful car?" I asked upon hopping into the cab myself.

"My father gave it to me when I was sixteen, though if I showed you a picture of what it used to be you'd just laugh. It was a rust bucket, literally. Not a speck of paint on it. Luckily for me, though, I was friends with a mechanic. He taught me a lot and helped me to fix it up until it became what it is today!"

"I assume you've named it, too?"

Bella just glanced at me from the corner of her eye. "Maybe..."

"And?" I asked, pulling for more.

"I'll tell you, but first tell me about your car. Fair is fair. I'm kind of a gear head, just a bit."

I giggled and said, "You'd get on well with Emmett's wife, then. Anyways, I drive a Porsche Boxter."

"Color?" Bella asked.

"Canary yellow, what else?"

She laughed at that, then, "And name?"

"Doesn't have a name," I said simply with a shrug.

"Liar, all cars have names."

I thought on it. "Well, if I had to I'd pick what I call it the most, but that isn't exactly an endearing term. If my parents had named me, 'you piece of shit,' I'd have been pretty pissed."

Bella's laughter was loud and mostly unexpected, only because in the time I'd known her she rarely lost her calm, collected persona.

"That's as close as I can get," I laughed out, my mirth raised in response to her own. "Now what's this beauty's name?"

Her laughter ceased suddenly and she looked over at me with a queer expression, as if examining my for something.

"What?"

"You got it," she said, sounding a bit confused.

"What?" I repeated, feeling only slightly like a parrot.

"My car's name, it's 'Beauty.' What are you, some kind of mind reader?"

I grinned, pleased with myself. "Not that I know of. Just a coincidence."

"Ah, but there's no such thing as coincidences, remember?"

I just rolled my eyes. "A lucky guess."

"De_nial,_" Bella sang out, but she didn't push. We spent the rest of the ride talking about trivial things, mostly. Favorite songs, artists, memories, things like that. It was strange, I had never known anyone like Bella before, which I was beginning to strongly regret. In high school I had been in a very different crowd. Carlisle and Esme had high paying careers, so my siblings and I always dressed very nicely. We fit right in with the athletes and the more... snobby people. My group of friends in particular was a nasty bunch. I remember taunting people like Bella. It's cringe-worthy now and honestly I feel like a real ass wipe, never mind that I haven't talked with any of them in years.

On the thought train, I asked, "So do you still see anyone from high school?"

Bella looked at me, a bit surprised by the question and said, "Yeah, actually. I was a bridesmaid at my best friend Angela's wedding just a few months ago, we've been friends since freshman year. She married her high school sweetheart too, so I stay in touch with him as well. They're still up in Washington, but we video chat almost every week. Why?"

I sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I was just thinking about how different you and I are. In high school I was part of a radically different crowd, you know?"

Bella surprised me yet again by laughing. "Now, the trick here is that in high school, I was _nothing_ like I am now."

"Really?" I asked, intrigued.

"Hell yeah. I was cripplingly shy, plain, boring, you could even call me invisible. I never talked to anyone, I had the self-esteem of a sea cucumber."

"What happened?" I asked, sucked into her story.

"I realized how unhappy I was. I doubted my every move, I second guessed every word that came out of my mouth. I cared _so much_ about what everyone thought of me that I was too scared to act like I wanted to. So when I graduated I went to college for, as you know, an English degree. What changed me was this class I took, this creative writing thing. There was this quote our professor read to us on the first day and I'll never forget it. 'Be who you are and say what you think, because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter.' You heard of it?"

"Dr. Seuss, right?"

She laughed and shrugged. "Fuck if I know. I'd never heard it. But for the rest of the lesson I just sat there in shock. It struck a chord, you know? From then on the old Bella began steadily turning into me. I changed how I dressed, I finished fixing up my car, I got my piercings and the tattoos I'd always wanted. I dyed my hair and I learned how to skate and smoke and drink. I had never felt better about myself. At the beginning of the year I got the worst grades in the whole school in Creative Writing, but by the end, I was top of my class."

"Wow," I said solemnly, sitting back against my seat, not having realized I was on the edge of it. "That's really deep, you know. Self realization and all that."

"Seriously. I figured I've only got one chance at this life crap, you know? I want to do it right, and I want to do it my way."

"I was kind of the same, though not to that degree. I was always creative and intuitive. I'd get struck with sudden inspiration and not be able to focus on anything else until that project was done. Well, my parents wanted me to become a doctor, like Carlisle is, or a lawyer. Well, I went into law school. Slowly but surely I started... shriveling. It was so bound up and so... 'text book'-y that I began to wither. My family noticed before I did and confronted me and it was a real wake up call. I dropped my major the next day and took up fashion design classes and graduated high up enough to get an internship with Marclief, then finally a job. So," I said, shrugging, "I guess we both followed our hearts."

"And they led us... here," Bella said with a smile. The car slid into park and I looked up, startled to see the ocean played out before us. The waves were a good five feet tall and the beach was empty. Behind us the ocean front shops were barely beginning to open. I saw more than one bleary eyed shopkeeper just now flipping their sign from 'closed' to 'open.' The water a gray and dark, but the sand was light. Palm trees grew near the road, and to the right weathered outcroppings of rock jutted out of the ground, ancient cliffs worn down to jagged slopes.

"Wow, it's beautiful! I should have brought a sketchbook or something."

"Maybe next time," Bella laughed, hopping down from the cab and walking back to begin unlatching the boards.

I walked around back to see if I could help with anything, but Bella hoisted her board out and cradled it under her arm like it was feather light. "You sure you don't want to give it a go?" she asked.

I looked to the water and scrunched up my nose. "Um, maybe some other time."

Bella just smiled and said, "Alrighty then."

"So don't you have to prep or something before you just dive right in?" I asked as we walked towards the foamy surf.

"Well, you're supposed to wax your board, but I did before I picked you up so I'm good to go." She stuck her board in the ground, bottom end lodging in so it stood on it's own. "This," she gestured like Vana White, "is a surf board."

"You don't say," I muttered, sarcasm flowing from my every pore.

Bella gave me a half-assed dirty look, then continued, "I've been surfing for the last two years or so, so I've got pretty mad skills. Enough that I don't need a long board anymore. Those are more stable. This is easier to maneuver but you need more balance to stay upright. Follow so far?"

I nodded. It seemed fairly simple.

"You've got your wrist cord," she said, grasping for a string attached to the front and center of the board, with a Velcro strap on the end, "which you attach to keep your board from floating off to sea if you wipe out."

"Solid. Seems like a good thing to have," I quipped, shuddering at the thought of me trying this for the first time.

Bella must have read my thoughts because she waved a lazy hand at me and said, "Stop stressing, you'll be fine. Whenever you get the lady balls to jump in, that is," she quipped with a Cheshire grin.

"Well then!" I said, mocking an offended air. "Maybe I don't feel comfortable just 'jumping in' because I don't believe you have the bite to match your bark! Hmpf!"

Bella rolled her head back and laughed. "Oh, I've got _plenty_ of bite little girl, just you wait and see!" She practically purred it, and it sent shivers down my spine. I hoped she didn't notice but her eyes were boring into mine... It didn't seem likely.

"Well, let's see it then!" I challenged.

Bella threw a towel at me, one she had thrown over her shoulder when we left her truck. In all my grace, I let it hit me in the face then flop onto my lap. I stood to lay it out beneath me, not exactly wanting sand in my shorts for the rest of the day. By the time I looked up, another wave of cloth hit me in the face, but instead of another towel it was in fact Bella's tee shirt and shorts. She now wore black, blue, and white striped board shorts that fell to her knees, and a bikini top that matched. Her skin was tan and her muscles toned. This girl had a six pack for crying out loud. On her left side, starting somewhere on her leg but now covered by her trunks, was a black tribal tattoo that ran up to wrap around her shoulder. Upon closer examination I saw that it was, in fact,several animals entwined together. It looked like a wolf, a bear, a fox, and an owl. It was probably the most intricate, impressive tattoo I had ever seen.

"Like the view?" Bella asked with an easy laugh.

**A/N: Got some good Bellice fluff in here, yes? I enjoyed it at any rate. Uhm, for the record, I did not grammar/spell/whatever check this before posting so I apologize.**

**I don't know about you guys but I'm liking this sexy, confident Bella! :D Definitely OOC, but very likable. Your thoughts are always extremely appreciated, as well as ideas! I love you all, and see you next update!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Newww chapter! ^^ Read and enjoy! This is mostly fluff but we also get some furtherance in their relationship :D**

"That is the sweetest tattoo I've ever seen in my life," I said, too awestruck to be embarrassed for blatantly checking her out.

"Oh, yeah? It should be. This sucker put me out two thousand dollars and twelve hours under the needle."

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"Yeah, but it was worth it. Because now, in a swim suit," she paused to gesture to her body, "I look damn sexy."

"Are you going to actually surf or just stand here flattering yourself all day?" I asked in a bored tone, trying desperately to keep myself from blushing at the same time.

Bella pouted for a moment, but eventually her lips twitched into a smile. "Yeah, yeah, alright Princess. Enjoy the show!" she called over her shoulder before wading into the surf.

I did, in fact, enjoy the show. It was amazing to watch her break through the rough water beating against the shore. From time to time she would completely duck under an oncoming wave and disappear for a few moments before surfacing again twenty feet further out. Eventually she was beyond the waves. At that point, she sat up on her board and lifted an arm to wave. I chuckled and waved back. She turned a head over her shoulder to watch and rocking and rolling surface, waiting for a sweep to come through that was worth her time. I used the same opportunity to try and anticipate the one she would choose, but failed miserably. Plenty looked strong, large, promising, but all fell through before they reached the shore line.

The one she did take was barely more than a ripple. My brows came together in confusion as Bella quickly lay down on her stomach and began paddling in, staying on top of the ripple as it grew larger and larger. Finally it was a full blown wave, probably a good six feet tall. Finally she came to it's crest, dropped in, and in one fluid motion she was on her feet. Then she was _flying_. It was amazing! The board glided and danced over the surface like a leaf on the wind. She must have controlled the board with minute tilts and turns of her balance because she could fall down the wave then rise back to the top seemingly effortlessly. Bella zipped up to the crest, left the wave to flip through the air, and came down going the other way. Finally, as the wave got closer to shore she rode to the top and let the wave roll away underneath her, sitting back down.

She held up a fist, pumping it into the air just once. I laughed and clapped, holding up eight fingers. "I'll give it an eight!" I yelled out. Whether she could hear me or not, she must have understood the message because she held her arms out in a 'What the hell!' kind of way.

Looking over her shoulder she must have caught sight of another taker, because she lay down and paddled farther out once again. Again and again she found a wave and rode it, each time getting more and more fancy with her tricks until she was pulling off things that I would never be able to accomplish in a million years. The street behind us got progressively more busy. Eventually people on the sidewalk started to stop and watch for a while, oohing and ahhing as Bella pulled off more complicated tricks. One guy even walked up to stand next to me.

"Damn, she's good. Native?" He asked, like I would know what that meant. I inferred.

"Nah, she's from up in Washington. She moved here a few years ago and picked it up then."

"How long has she been at it?"

"About two years," I said and the guy whistled. "She owns Olympic Surf and Skate Shop farther down the coast."

"I've heard of that place! My budy got his last board there. She your girlfriend or something?" the oddly forward man asked.

"No, just a friend," I mumbled, blushing.

He laughed and said, "Yeah, whatever you say dude. See ya around," he said before retreating towards the water again.

"See ya," I mumbled. I looked up in time to see Bella pull off her highest flip yet. I laughed and clapped, noticing that, upon resettling herself on the wave, she looked my way for approval. I held up then fingers this time, mostly just to humor her.

As Bella dropped off that set as well, I noticed for the first time that the tide has risen a few feet since we arrived. The sand barely six feet below me was now getting regularly saturated. Grinning, I pulled off my capri shorts, obviously not caring if my bikini got sandy, and scooted down. Handful by handful, I scooped wet sand up beyond the water's hungry reach. I began to shape and form in, making haphazard patterns, nothing terribly distinct. It grew from a small mound to a swirling structured sculpture.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," a voice interrupted my zen, causing me to jump violently, knocking down an archway I had made.

"Shit!" I said, more from my surprise than the loss of sand. "Bella, don't do that!"

She was, naturally, laughing her soaked ass off. Her board flopped down beside her as she stood in the surf, hands on her stomach, convulsing.

"I zone out whenever I'm making something!"

"Sorry, sorry, but _Jesus_, you jumped like fifteen feet in the air!"

"Hardly," I growled out, cheeks flushing.

"Aw, chill out. I just dropped in to see what you were doing. Are you bored? We could go-"

"What?" I interrupted. Suddenly I realized what it must look like, her mucking about in the water and me alone on the beach, messing with the sand. "No! Not at all! Sorry, I just get distracted really easily whenever I get inspired to make something."

"Oh," she said, eying me oddly. "Well then!" Bella stuck her board tail end int the sand once more then plopped down beside me, her wet skin immediately taking on a thing sheen of sand. "Let's build a castle!"

I couldn't help but giggle. "Seriously? I haven't done that since I was eight!"

She pointed to herself and said, "I'm a kid at heart, or haven't you noticed?"

I pondered that, then eventually concluded. "Fine, but I don't do anything half ass. This thing is going to be spectacular."

And it was.

Four sand fights, two heated technical arguments and two trips to the car for more supplies got us as close as we would get to a finished product. The end result was half sturdy walls, sweeping terraces and balconies, spires and towers and walkways, even a garden and a courtyard, and half a smashed mess. The first bit was intentional, the second half was a product of me nonchalantly tripping Bella (after she had flung seaweed at my face and laughed at me for getting scared by a dead jellyfish, of course.) She hadn't landed on our marvelous castle, but I had when she used her ninja reflexes to grab me and drag me down with her. My rage at the catastrophe was probably drowned out by our uncontrollable laughter. I flung a handful of sand at her face in mock anger.

"Ugh!" Bella sputtered and spat sound from her mouth. "Dude!"

"You earned it! You are directly to blame for the destruction of Aliceopolis!"

"Aliceopolis?" she questioned, trying to find a spot on her body not covered in grit that she could rub against her mouth.

"Yes!" was my stubborn reply.

"Well I'd hate for you to carry such painful memories home with you. Better wash them off!" Before I knew it Bella had picked me up, _slung me over her shoulder_, and we were running for the ocean.

"No, no, no, no, ack!" Splash. Bella jumped right into the water and under we went, rolling and swirling, tossed about in the broken surf. I came up sputtering, carefully styled spikes of hair hanging limply over my eyes. If I looked half the drowned rat that I _felt_ like, well, I can understood why Bella was still laughing. "You raging bastard face, I hope you know I have no choice now but to kill you," I growled, then 'eep'ed and scurried away as she lunged for me once more.

"I'm terrified, really."

"You should be!" I said, kicking water at her, a shitty grin on my face.

After running amuck on the beach for a while longer, Bella decided it was time for a lunch break. My grumbling stomach couldn't have agreed more. So we walked back to the truck and tossed our towels and what have you in the back. Bella pulled a wife beater on over her bikini and some longer cargo shorts, I donned the clothes I had worn before and off we went walking down the sidewalk, ocean side.

"It's not far," Bella assured me. "Real crappy place, I love eating there."

"Crappy?" I asked with a laugh.

"In the good sort of way!" She grinned, "You know, dingy, quaint, but also real. It's no chain restaurant. The food comes from the ocean and local farms. You'll dig it, I swear."

"I believe you," I said, raising my hands in mock surrender.

"So tell be more about your family," Bella said. "When do I get to meet them? I'd love to see the big bear again."

I smiled and said, "Hopefully soon. They'd all love you. Emmett already does of course, but the rest of them would too. You're kind of a spit fire so Rose would approve, and you seem like someone who would mesh well with Jazz and Eddie. Esme loves everyone and Carlisle will love you just because you're friends with Em and I."

Bella grinned and laughed. "Only the first date and I'm already meeting the family! I don't know shorty, we might need to slow things down a little bit."

I rolled my eyes and shoved at her shoulder, saying, "Oh, shut up. You asked! And since when is this a date! I feel like I should have been told."

Bella chuckled and said, "Pssh, what, this isn't romantic enough for you?"

I grinned and began ticking events off on my fingers. "So far I've been woken up at the ass crack of dawn, built a sand castle, been _thrown into_ said castle, _then_ thrown into the ocean, and _now_ I'm on a forced trek across the state of California!" I paused and seemed to mull things over while Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head. Finally I concluded, "Yeah, romantic enough. I'm having a good time, I suppose!"

"You only suppose? Jeez, I'll have to work harder than this!"

"You can start by buying me lunch!" I chuckled. If I was going to play along I might as well get something out of it, right?

"Excuse me, I thought _you_ were supposed to cover tabs seeing as I'm teaching you all my deep, dark secrets!"

"That was before you asked me on a date, duh," I said, rolling my eyes. "Now you have to! Otherwise I might just not agree to a second!"

Bella tapped her chin, seemingly thinking. "Hmm, deal! That just means we need to do this again. But you have to pay next time!"

I laughed, unable to respond for a good long while, before I was able to respond with, "Yeah, okay."

Bella just lay a hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle shake the pulled me aside. "Well, we're here!"

The shop front was small, and the inside I guessed must be deep then, because there was hardly any space there. It was decorated with what I would classify as tasteful graffitti. The paint was chipping in places but the design overall, while it took me a few seconds to work out, spelled the word 'Hanson's.' Bella saw me looking and smiled yet again.

"Appreciating my handywork?"

I looked at her, brows drawn. "What?"

"My handywork! Their sign, so to speak. I was the artist."

My jaw dropped and my head swiveled between the girl at my side to the store front and back again. "No way!"

"Way," she smirked with a smug shrug. "I _may_ have picked up the skills in the tail end of my high school career. More than a few buildings back around my hometown have my work on 'em, and a few trains rattling across the country, too."

"How did you get this job?" I asked, gesturing to the shop front.

Bella laughed and ran a hand through her hair. If I didn't know better, I'd say she looked guilty. "Well... the guy who owns this place is a friend of mine, and his dad happens to be a cop. Well, his dad caught me working on a piece one night and I figured I'd be heading to jail or something. Vandalism and what not. But instead the cop leans in and says he's seen my stuff popping up, and he really likes it. He wanted to know if, in trade for him letting me off, he'd do a piece for his son for free."

"And of course you agreed?" I asked, laughing.

"Duh," she said with a smile and pushed her way inside the shop.

A bell rung to announce our arrival and a boy around our age, early twenties, looked up from behind the counter. He had dark auburn hair, nearly ruby in shade and from what I could see, I thought it was probably his natural color. He had the tall, tan, lean build of a surfer and dressed in beach style. His eyes were a bright blue, ever more unnatural looking that his hair, and a light spattering of freckles dusted his face.

"Hey Shane!" Bella said with a laugh and sauntered up to the counter.

"'Sup, Bellzy!" The boy reached over and brought his hand against hers in some sort of odd handshake I didn't bother noting the specifics with. Next he eyed me then turned back to Bella and asked, "New girlfriend? What happened to old what's her name? The horse face?"

Bella 'tsk'ed and bopped the boy on his forehead while I reeled. Was he serious?

"First, _no_, Alice and I are just friends. She's doing research at my shop for Marclief, and secondly, _Jane_ and I parted ways after that scuff between her crew and I. So you happy now, Mr. Nosey?"

"I'm never happy," Shane scoffed and turned back to the grill where a few fish filets sizzled. "But I am satisfied! You guys hungry, I assume?"

"Hell yeah we are. Whatcha got fresh?"

"Some kick ass Mahi, is what we got. Want a sandwich or two? On the house?"

"Thanks Shane," Bella said with a laugh and plopped down at a table near the front window.

I followed, still a little shell shocked from Shane's revelation. Bella was gay, then? I mean, I guess in all honesty I wasn't really surprised. Thinking back, it all made a lot of sense, from Emmett's very first comment about her being 'one of the guys' and her nonchalant flirting that before now I had just kind of figured was how she acted. But now...

A little whistle brought me back to attention. "Yoo-hoo! Earth to Alice! You alive in there?"

I blinked away my hazy thoughts and zoned back to Bella, where she sat in front of me, eyebrows drawn in concern. "Oh! Sorry. Just thinking."

Bella grimaced as if she had eaten something sour. "What, about what Shane said? About that, I was gonna tell you, it's just-"

"Bella, I'm in the fashion industry," I broke in before she could get on a roll.

Brought up short and confused, Bella just asked, "What?"

"I work in fashion. I was raised in _fashion_! It's an entire community, and for fuck's sake, I live in West Hollywood! Why on earth would you worry about how I feel about gays?"

I forced down a smile as Bella actually blushed. Just a little bit, but it was a blush none the less. "I don't know. At first I figured we would just talk at work so I figured, what did it matter whether I brought it up or not, but then we became friends and I was worrying that if it _did_ freak you out you'd be screwed for your project, I guess."

I smiled softly and laughed just the same, "That's very thoughtful... but also very stupid!" I reached forward and flicked her forehead. Indignant she curled her lip at me and rubbed the injury. I continued with, "C'mon! You know I've got more to me than that! I'm not shallow and I'm certainly no biggot. Do you know _why?_" I asked, waiting for the bomb to go off.

"Why?" She growled out, still put off.

I leaned in and beckoned her closer. Conspiratorially, I whispered, "Because I'm gay too!"

Bella leaned back in her seat, away from me, brows raised. "Seriously?"

"Totes and hoes," I said with a smirk, fiddling with my nails. "Surprise!"

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, still shocked.

"Why didn't _you_ tell _me?_" I countered with a slight glare, which she returned. We sat there searching each other's expressions in an angry way until Shane brought out two baskets of food and set them down in front of us.

Shane snickered out, "Wow, you can practically smell the estrogen in the air here. I'm gonna go hide behind the counter again before you two start shredding each other."

"Fuck you," Bella grumbled out, but the spell was broken and she dug into her sandwich. I, following suit, did as she did. One bite in and my mouth exploded with joy.

"Holy _shit_," I gasped. "This is the most delicious thing I've ever consumed!"

Bella couldn't help but laugh, and whether it was at my wide eyes or the crumbs covering my face or my expletives I wasn't sure. "I know right," she said around a mouth of food. "Shane is a wizard."

"Damn straight!" could be heard shouted from the depths of the kitchen.

I dug into another bite and sighed longingly. "Mother of God, I will never eat anywhere else for as long as I live."

Bella just laughed again and shook her head.

"And for the record, since you're not _actually_ paying for this, it doesn't count."

"Hey now!" She called out indignant. "I am still _providing_ you with lunch! Paying or not is irrelevant!"

"Nope, you skipped out on a very important piece of this! It's damn unacceptable Bella. Damn unacceptable." I tried to keep my serious face in check but she was making it hard to hold the laughter in.

Finally she just scoffed. "Keh. Whatever. Dinner then?"

I looked at her through narrowed eyes, smiling all the while. "Hmm... I suppose! As long as you can find another place with food as good as this."

Shane swept by again with refills. "Hon, there aren't any other places as good as this."

Bella shot a straw wrapper at him.

"So where to now?" I asked as we reemerged into the bright afternoon light. The temperature hovered at around eighty, nice and comfortable.

"Back to the truck! Then we're heading farther up the coast to our next activity."

"Which would be..." I trailed off, questioning.

Bella just scoffed at me and ruffled my hair, to which I responded with a light punch in the shoulder and quick motions to reorganize my 'do.' "Telling you would ruin the surprise!"

I rolled my eyes and decided to let her have her fun. "So tell me more about your family!" I asked.

She seemed surprised but launched into it nonetheless. "Yeah? Alright. Well, my mom and dad divorced when I was little. I spent the school year with my mom, Renee, in Phoenix and then the summers with my dad, Charlie, up in Forks. My Mom got engaged to a guy named Phil when I was a freshman in high school so I decided to let the kids be kids and move up with my dad." She joked with an easy smile on her face. "That and the fact that they wanted to move to Florida and I didn't want to leave my friends in Phoenix when I already knew people up in Forks, y'know? But yeah, anyways my mom's a scatterbrain but the nicest woman you'll ever meet. Bit of a spitfire, though. My dad is chief of police in Forks, real traditional and stoic, I guess. Bit introverted."

"They seem really different," I said with a smile, thinking of my own mom and dad who fit together like puzzle pieces.

"Hence the divorce," Bella answered with good humor. "They're still on good terms, though. My mom is local, actually. She lives up in Santa Barbara, comes down every now and then."

"What does she do?" I asked, curious.

Bella paused a bit, then sighed. I anticipated something bad, but instead she said, "She's an artist. An... affluent one."

My eyes widened and I couldn't help but ask, "_How_ affluent?"

"Around seven or eight figures, affluent," she sighed out, frowning.

"No way!" I said, putting on the breaks. It took Bella several paces before she realized I had stopped.

She chuckled and said, "Way. It always drove me nuts as a kid."

"How so?" I asked, brows drawn. Between Carlisle, one of the foremost doctors in the country and Esme, a recognized interior designer, we had never wanted for money. I always loved it though, I felt as if it had opened doorways for me.

"Well, I'm not one to indulge, I guess," she said with a soft smile. "I prefer a simple life style, and its hard to be simple when driving a Ferrari and wearing Prada clothing, and traveling to Europe every other weekend just for fun. Wealth was never something I strove for."

I considered that, then nodded. "I guess I get what you mean. For me I always looked at our financial status as a means to improve myself. I used it to take art classes and learn new languages, to travel and learn the world, kind of culture myself."

Bella just shrugged and said, "To each their own!"

**A/N: Awww, aren't they so cute? S'gonna be some big time drama in the next chapter, I'm quite pumped! Let me know what you think?**


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